Arc-lamp.



Patented Nov. 28, I899.

I. R. PRENTISS.

ABC LAMP.

(A l'imion filed Aug. 12, 1899.)

(No Model.)

0 inventor. lr-ving R. Prentiss. MQa WQ Htcg.

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UNITED STATES PATENT Curios...

IRVING R. PRENTISS, OF SCIIENECTADY, NEIV YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, OF NEYV YORK.

ARC-LAM P.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 637,825, dated November 28, 1899.

Application filed August l2,1899. Serial No. 726,980. (No model.)

To all whom it may n rn: controlling devices limiting the time of oper- 50 Be it known that I, IRVING It. PRENTISS, a ation of the lamp. citizen of the United States, residing at Schen- My invention is applicable to any type of ectady, county of Schenectady, State of New arclamp. In the drawings I have shown it York, have invented certain new and useful as combined with a constant-potential type Improvements in Arc-Lamps, (Case No. 945,) of inclosed arc-lamp, the connections of which 55 of which the following is a specification. will be only sufliciently referred to to indicate The object of this invention is to provide the operative relation of the parts, as any an arc-lamp which may be set to run at detype of lamp in which the carbons are peri- IO termined hours and in which a record will be Odie-ally fed may be employed.

preserved of the number of hours of service. 1 represents a clutch for the positive elec- 60 I provide means for effecting these results. trode, controlled by the core 2 of a series coil 3.

In carrying out the invention I provide a '-;l is a dash-pot for damping the movements clockwork, controlled by the operation of the of the core of the regulating-coil, and 5 a suplamp, released so as to run during the time porting-spring for carrying the weight of the the arc is burning and automaticallyarrested parts. Connected to the rod between the 65 when the arc is extinguished. I provide also clutch and the core of the regulating mechautomatic winding arrangements for the timeanism is a lever 6, pivoted to the frame of the train controlled by the operation of the lamp, lamp at one side and carrying the pivoted so as to keep the indicator always ready for rod 7, to the top of which is secured a brake action. I provide also means by which the S in operative relation to the rim of the bal- 7o lamp can be burned only for a definite numance-wheel of a clock-movement. The latter ber of hours, after which it will be automatmay be of any ordinary construction and is ically cut out of action. so mounted in the lamp that a door in the My invention therefore comprises an arccasing may be opened to give access to the lamp, in combination with means for preservclock for adjustment or examination. The 75 ing a record of the time during which the lamp brake-shoe S and the rod on whichit is mountis in service. ed are so arranged that the shoe is in engage- Morespecifically,itcomprisesawheel-train ment with the balance-wheel of the clockand register, combined with the lamp, and memovement when the lamp is not burning, and

chanical connections with the lamp for releaswhen the arc is struck the shoe is removed 80 ing the wheel-train when the arc is burning from the balance-wheel, permitting the clock and for automatically storing power from time to run. The rod which carries the brake-shoe to time in the driving mechanism for the is also provided with a pawl 9, engaging a wheel-train. ratchet-wheel secured to the spring-barrel It comprises also means for predetermining which drives the clock-train, so that when the 85 the period in hours during which the lamp lamp feeds the motion imparted to the magshall burn, so that the lamp may be lighted net-core to eifect such feed will increase the for any desired fractional part of the life of tension of the clock-spring by pushing forits carbon. ward the pawl 9. Thus the clock may be Other features of novelty will be hereinafkept continuously wound by the intermittent 9o ter more specifically pointed out, and will be efforts of the lamp when feeding. On suitdefinitely indicated in the claims. able arbors of the clock-train are provided In the drawings, Figure 1 isasectional view indicators 10 11, moving over dials to indicate of the feed mechanism of a lamp embodying the hours and days the lamp is operated.

my improvements. Fig. 2 is an elevation of The wheelwork may be mounted in the cas- 5 the wheel-train and registeringdevice,broken ing of the lamp mechanism so that the dials away in parts to more clearly exhibit the lie behind glazed openings 12 13, permitting mechanism. Figs. 3 and 4: are detail views of the lamp-register to be read orinspected readily. The clock-train should be provided also with a winding-post accessible from a door in the lampframe for winding the clock when necessary, and especially when the lamp is initially operated.

On the hour-post of the clock I provide a device for determining the length of time the lamp may be used. The details of this organization are shown in Figs. 2 and 3. It comprises a semicircular disk 14, which is mounted friction-tight on the arbor, but is capable of be ing turned by means of knots 16, accessible from the outside of the mechanism. A small dial may be mounted on the movable disk to indicate relatively to the h on r-dial the length of time the lamp is to burn and permit it to be set for any definite hour. The disk may be set so as to bring a notch 15 any desired angular distance from a zero-point 0) on the clocl -face,the angular distance being read in hours on the small dial 15, as indicated, the notch being provided with a curved edge, as shown at 15. Adapted to bear on the periphery of the disk is a roller 18, connected to a spring-controlled lever 19, which carries two contacts adapted to engage two corresponding fixed contacts connected to the lamp-terminals, and thereby short-circuit the lamp, or otherwise arranged to cut it out of service.

It will be evident from an inspection of the drawings that the length of time during which the lamp is in action is governed by the length of the are between the notch 15 and the Zeropoint, (0,) which may be adjusted to any number of hours desired, from one to twentyfour. The dials on the clock may be arranged to cover any desired period of operation of the lamp. As shown, it provides a registerfor a month, during which period the lamp should be inspected and reset. iVhen the lamp is adjusted to burn for a definite number of hours per day, the trimmer should reset the dial at the end of the run, as the lamp is cut out of circuit until the notch 15 is again moved away from roller 18. The door by which access is gained to the registering mechanism is of course kept under lock and key and accessible only to an employee of the supply company.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. An arc-lamp provided with a register to indicate the term of its service, and means controlled by the feeding mechanism of the lamp for operating such register.

2. An arc-lamp provided with a time-train operated by the feeding mechanism of the lamp, and means for setting said time-train for any period of operation of the lamp.

3. An arc-lam p provided with a clock-train, a register operated thereby, means for releasing the clock-train when the lamp is burning and arresting it when the lamp is extinguished, and means for periodically an tomatically winding the clock-train.

An are-lamp provided with a clock-train, a register operated thereby, means for releasing the clock-train when the lamp is burning, and winding mechanism for the clocktrain periodically operated by the lamp mechanism.

5. An arc-lam p provided with a clock-train, a register operated thereby, means for releasing the clock-train when the lamp is burning and arresting it when the are is extinguished, and a winding device for the clocktrain connected to and operated by the feedregulator of the lamp.

6. An arc-lamp provided with a wheeltraiu, means for releasing the same by the action of the lamp while burning, and setting devices for extinguishing the lamp after a determinate period of movement of the wheel-train.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 9th day of August, 1899.

IRVING R. PRENTISS.

Witnesses:

DUGALD MOKILLOP, JOHN M. MANUS. 

